Logical Reasons
by Insanetrouble
Summary: "Gill. It's been three months since DC Bailey disappeared... don't you think it's time to replace her?" But of course, with Rachel Bailey, it was never going to be as simple as a mere disappearance.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello! This is my first S&B fanfic, so i'm a little nervous... tell me what you think? Next chapter will be up in a few days X**_

"Gill. It's been three months since DC Bailey disappeared. You're already one man down- don't you think it's time to replace her?" Gill narrowed her eyes at the assistant chief constable Karen Zelinski who stood in front of her.

"Until I hear Rachel tell me for herself that she no longer wants to work here, or I see her body in the morgue her desk will remain hers, and her place on my team stable. Ma'am." Gill told her firmly, her tone giving no room for manoeuvre.

"You're treading a very thin line, Gill. Is she really worth it?"

"Absolutely." Answered Gill. Without a word, the assistant chief con walked out, leaving Gill to drop her face into her hands and sigh.

"Was that about Rachel?" Gill looked up to see an exhausted Janet standing in the doorway.

"Yeah. On at me about replacing her. " she answered. Janet's eyes widened.

"Are you?" she asked. Gill shook her head.

"Course not. This would be a tad easier if we could find her though." She said pointedly. Janet let out a sigh.

"She doesn't want to be found, Gill. Her phone's been switched off for months, none of her cards have been used and nobody's spoken to her or seen her." Janet sat down heavily, running a hand across her face.

"This isn't like her. Why would she just up and vanish?" muttered Gill, not for the first time. Janet sighed again.

"I don't know."

_FLASHBACK- 2 MONTHS AGO_

_"Morning all!" Janet breezed in, dumping her bags and coat on the desk. Mitch, Rob, Pete and Lee grunted in greeting._

_"Boss in yet?" she asked as she sat down._

_"Nah, not yet. Neither's Rachel." Rob answered. Janet frowned._

_"Huh- she said she was coming in early." She pondered for a moment, before shrugging and beginning her paperwork._

_"Morning." Gill strode in, laden down with files and bags. They greeted her absently, until a few minutes later she reappeared, flushed and looking worried._

_"Where's Rachel?" she demanded. They glanced around at each other._

_"Not yet in." Janet said. Gill was silent for a long moment._

_"Shit."_

_"What's wrong?" asked Rob, standing up. The others did the same. Gill looked uncertain for a moment, not a common look on her face._

_"She left this on my desk." She handed Janet the handwritten paper in her hand. Janet frowned as she slipped her glasses on, reading aloud._

_**DCI Murray**_

_**I'm sory that I have not done this in person, but I didn't want a long goodbye with the teem. I can no longer carry out my job as wel as it needs to be done, so therefor give resignation, effective immediatly.**_

_**My apologes for the suden departure.**_

_**Rachel Bailey**_

_Silence fell as Janet finished reading._

_"She didn't write this." She said confidently. _

_"Janet…" began Rob with a condescending tone, but Janet cut him off before he could say the inevitable._

_"No. She didn't write this- look at it! A child could have written better than this! It's full of spelling mistakes... Rachel's a perfectionist, and clever! She doesn't write like this!" Janet said waving the paper. Gill snatched it, studying it for a moment._

_"She's right." She confirmed._

_"If Rachel didn't write it… then who did? And why?" asked Pete._

_"And where's Rachel?" Lee questioned solemnly. Nobody answered. _

_PRESENT_

"She must have had her reasons." Reasoned Gill quietly. Janet raised an eyebrow.

"She sends a note that looks like it was written by a four year old under duress, but seems to disappear of her own free will. How is there a logical reason for that?" Gill didn't answer.

* * *

_One month later._

"Ma'am, there's a PC here, reckons she spotted Rachel last night up in the town centre?" Mitch poked his head around the door, excitement flushing his features. Gills head snapped up hopefully. After months of not so much as a sighting, any news was welcome.

"Send her in." she instructed, putting her pen down as the uniform walked in.

"Ma'am." The PC nodded respectfully.

"PC…?"

"Stevens, Ma'am. Samantha Stevens."

"Take a seat, PC Stevens. You think you saw DC Bailey?" Gill asked, getting right to the point. Samantha nodded.

"I'm almost positive it was her- I helped on a case a few years back that she was working. She's… ah, pretty unforgettable."

"Where was she?" asked Gill, inwardly smiling at the woman's description.

"Just walking through the centre." Samantha said. "She was with a teenage girl, who looked to be about sixteen? They were just walking, laughing and joking together."

"What time was this?" Gill asked, wondering just how certain of her identification this PC was.

"Around half seven? I got CCTV- figured you might want proof." Samantha said as she withdrew the tapes from her bag. Gill smiled, impressed.

"Well done. Where d'you work out of?" she checked as she took them.

"Here, ma'am. Just on the beat." Came the reply. Gill regarded her for a moment, before nodding.

"Good eye." She complimented, before dismissing her and calling out to Lee.

"Get this set up, now." She threw him the tapes, before looking at the file that sat prominently on her desk. Missing persons report for DC Bailey, Rachel. Four months missing.

"Boss!?" hollered Lee. She entered the briefing room to find the entire screen crowded around the smart board.

"Run it." She instructed. He fast forwarded it to the right time, before playing it. They watched in stunned silence as the miniature Rachel walked across the screen with a teenager, laughing and looking very much OK. The girl said something, and Rachel shoved her mockingly, laughing harder and taking off as the girl chased after her. They disappeared from sight, and Lee paused it.

"Your PC was good." He said as he switched the tapes. "She got the ones from the surrounding streets too, so we can follow them up, find out where she goes."

They watched as Rachel and the girl walked down a few streets, following their progress from camera to camera, before suddenly, they didn't appear on one.

"That's weird- there're no side streets down there. It's just one road." Frowned Pete.

"Maybe they doubled back." Suggested Mitch. Lee went back and fast forwarded.

"Yeah- they turned around and headed down Old Kent Road, back towards centre." He showed them the pair walking quickly.

"Is it me or do they look nervous?" asked Mitch.

"No, they do." Agreed Janet, leaning forward slightly. They watched quietly as Rachel and the girl began to walk faster, checking over their shoulders as Rachel gripping her phone in her hand. Suddenly, a man stepped out in front of them from an alley, walking towards them ominously. Rachel paused, reaching out to stop the girl and they began to walk back the way they'd come, but another man was already standing there. Janet gasped as Rachel spun on the spot, eyes darting from the two men, before attempting to sprint past one of them with her companion, gripping her hand tightly. He caught her around the waist and stopped her, dragging her back as she fought him while another man appeared from nowhere and held a knife to the throat of the girl. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, but the man clapped his hand over it.

A van pulled up, and the two men hauled a fighting Rachel to it. She twisted and scratched, reaching out to the teenager, who was desperately trying to escape the knife, but they bundled her into the back area and slammed the door shut. The knife wielding man pushed the teenager to the floor, pressing the knife into her throat and saying something to her, before he jumped into the passenger seat and they sped off, leaving the girl on the pavement.

"Oh my god." Whispered a wide eyed Janet.

"We need to find that girl." Said Gill, as they watched her pick herself up from the floor, tears streaming down her face as she stumbled away, out of sight of the camera.

"I need to call the assistant chief con. Find that girl!" Gill swung out of the shell-shocked room, already dialling the phone in her hand.


	2. Chapter 2

Janet ran through the footage for the fifth time, desperately searching for something that would tell them where Rachel was and who had taken her. She scanned through the scenes where Rachel and the mysterious girl were running, a jiggling feeling at the back of head that she was missing something. She was interrupted by her phone ringing and answered it absently, before, suddenly, it hit her.

"Oh my god, I'm an idiot!" She exclaimed, much to the surprise of Dorothy, who was on the other end.

"What?" She asked.

"Mum, I'll have to call you back." She hung up without waiting for an answer and flew into the main incident room.

"Her phone!" She called out. The four men there looked at her blankly. "Rachel's phone, it's not her normal one! It's new! That's why we haven't been able to get a trace on hers- she's not using it anymore! But we might be able to on this one..."

She grinned happily as Mitch put a call in to the techs.

"I might have something too. The girl on the tape? She was wearing a hoodie with a logo on it- it wasn't a company logo though, it looked more like a school logo. Didn't have names on it though, just a picture of shield." Pete said, rolling back his chair.

"We still might be able to track it- can't be too many schools in Manchester with that as its emblem, right?" Asked Rob. Pete shrugged.

"I'll get on it."

"Techs say there were two mobiles switched on in the exact area we're asking about." Called Mitch. "One's an unregistered, withheld number so we can't trace it but the other is registered to Rachel Bailey."

"Can we pull its records?" Asked Janet eagerly.

"Yep, they're sending them though now." Smiled Mitch.

"Best news we've had all day." Muttered Lee.

"Where's the boss?" Pete was looking through the open blinds into the office.

"With Dodson." Answered Janet, just as the computer beeped with a newly received email. She peered over Mitch's shoulder as he ran the records.

"Let's see- the phone was bought and first used four months ago. Just after she disappeared. Since then, she's only sent and received calls or texts from three numbers. Most of them come from this one." He highlighted the number onscreen. "Unregistered, sending and receiving texts at a minimum of twice daily."

"Huh. I don't text Taisie and Elise that much." Commented Janet.

"Most of them seem to be just check up texts: you ok? How's it going? That sort of thing." Mitch pointed out.

"Which would suggest they're not living together, or near each other." Janet sat back in her chair. "Wait, what's that one?" Mitch highlighted the texts she was pointing to.

"How was school? Did everything go ok?" He read aloud.

"Our mystery girl?" Asked Pete from the other side of the room. Janet raised her eyebrows pointedly.

"Is the number saved?" Asked Rob. They all looked at him. "What? If they texted that much, it was probably saved to her contacts, meaning there should be a name."

"Oh." Muttered Mitch, causing Janet and Lee to smile slightly.

"Tali Malach." He read out as he found the contact list.

"Now that's not exactly a common name." Murmured Janet, quickly running a search on her own computer, reading out the results.

"Tali Malach, sixteen years old. Born in Manchester in April 1997 to..." She trailed off as she read the names.

"What?" Asked Pete. She swallowed heavily.

"To Benjamin Malach and Sharon Bailey." She looked up at the stunned men. "The kid's Rachel's younger sister."

* * *

"What else do we know about her?" Gill leaned back in her chair as she took in the news the group had just told her during the afternoon briefing.

"Well, we ran her through the database- she had no records or arrests, although her name did come up in a custody case from '97. From the records we could access, it looks like Sharon Bailey dumped the girl with her father when she was only a few days old and then vanished. Father went through the courts to legally get custody, and for reasons unknown the judge awarded immediate sole custody with no visitation rights. Now, I'm thinking that Sharon Bailey didn't even bother to turn up at court, which is why the ruling was made. That's the only explanation I can think of." Janet said.

"Where's this Benjamin Malach now?" asked Gill.

"Dead. He was killed in a car crash seven years ago." Answered Pete.

"Which would've made the girl nine?" she checked.

"Few weeks shy." He confirmed.

"Right- where is Tali now?" Gill questioned.

"That would be the problem." Mitch told her. "Legally, Sharon Bailey has custody, but there's no record of the girl actually living with her since she was about eleven. We checked with the bank- her post gets sent to an address in central Manchester but there's no record of her actually living there and she's not with her grandparents in Israel. There's no record of her leaving the country..."

"How does an eleven year old disappear by herself?" Asked Rob in confusion.

"You know... there's a boarding school a little way from the road Rachel and Tali were walking down when they turned back." Said Janet slowly, piecing together the parts in her head. "It would explain why the girl doesn't live with her mother, and why they were walking down that way. I think it's called the Paula Gerillio Academy? I'm pretty sure their logo's a shield..."

"All right- Pete, I want you on the address. See who else lives there; check with neighbours, the postman- the usual. Mitch, work on identifying those men in the tape. Lee, carry on tracking and finding that van. We find it, we may find Rachel. Rob, I need you to coordinate with the uniforms for a house to house in the area where Rachel was taken. Somebody may have seen something useful." Gill slipped the papers into her file.

"What about me, boss?" Janet asked.

"You and me are going to this school. I want to talk to this girl- find out why the hell she hasn't come forward and reported the abduction."

Half an hour later they drew up at the iron gates.

"Fancy." Gill commented as she took in the sprawling buildings and green areas. "How did I never realise this was here?"

"I only knew because Taisie wanted to come here when she started high school. It was much too expensive though, and they only take the absolute best." Janet said, getting out of the car.

"Which begs the question, how did Tali Malach get the money to come here, even if she does have the talent?" asked Gill as they entered.

"Her father?" offered Janet. Gill shrugged as she walked up to the receptionist and flashed her badge.

"DCI Murray, MIT. I need to speak with whoever's in charge." She said with a tone of authority.

"Do you have an appointment?" asked the receptionist, raising a perfect eyebrow.

"No. We're the police- we don't need one. Get him here now." Gill ordered.

"_Ms _Chambers is very busy in a meeting at the moment. I can make you an appointment for tomorrow, if you'd like?" the woman asked tartly. Gill slammed her badge on the desk.

"I don't care if she's in a meeting with the bloody pope, I want to see her. Now." The woman swallowed heavily, scurrying away into the depths of the school. Janet raised an amused eyebrow at Gill, who shrugged, looking innocent. After a few minutes, the clip of heels on wood echoed down the corridor and the receptionist came back into view, followed by a tall, willowy redhead who looked to be in her early forties.

"I am Ms Chambers, headmistress. I was told you wanted to see me?" she asked coldly, looking at them expectantly.

"DCI Murray, DC Scott, MMP." Gill flashed their badges. "We need to talk to one of your students- Tali Malach."

"Tali? Is everything ok? She's not the type to get into trouble…" Ms Chambers asked, her demeanour instantly changing to one of worry.

"She's not in trouble." Janet assured her hastily. "We believe she may have witnessed a crime, and simply need to ask her about it."

The woman regarded them for a long moment, before giving a nod. "Follow me." She began to walk away rapidly, and Gill and Janet hurried to catch up.

"Ms Chambers, has Tali been acting strangely at all in the past two days?" Janet questioned.

"Lara, please. Tali is… an exceptionally gifted girl. We offer only two full scholarships for the entire school every year, and at only eleven she got one. But she hasn't had the easiest life, not that she talks about it and occasionally she acts a little… out of character. But her work never suffers, and she is usually back to normal within a few days. Therefore, when her behaviour changed a few days ago, I assumed it was simply another such time." Lara explained. They entered a large hall with a raised stage at one end, where several students mulled around, most dressed in various costumes and outfits.

"Alexander, Rose, Anna!" Ms Chambers marched towards three of the students. The girls were dressed in matching black dresses that hit them mid-thigh, with dramatic make-up while the boy was dressed all in white, in tight trousers and a loose shirt.

"Where is Tali?" she asked them. They all exchanged a nervous glance. "Now, please!"

"We don't know." One of the girls, with skin the colour of rich coffee, said. "She was upset- she ran out maybe ten minutes ago, and hasn't come back."

"Well do you know where she went?" Janet asked. The three looked at her uncertainly.

"Maybe the courtyard? She likes to go there sometimes." The pale blond girl answered. Ms Chambers thanked them, and led them through more hallways, outside to a small courtyard in which a water fountain trickled away. On the edge, Janet could see a girl dressed in the same black dress as the other girls sitting, her curtain of brunette curls obscuring her face.

"Tali?" Lara's voice was surprisingly gentle, but Tali still jolted in surprise, whipping around to face the. Janet saw the tear tracks on her cheeks, but she quickly swiped her hand over her face and stood up as they approached,

"Miss Chambers?" Unlike the other girls, her face was bare of makeup and for the first time Janet realised just how much she looked like Rachel. Although her skin tone was slightly darker, giving her a tanned look she had the same brown eyes and hair.

"Tali, this is DCI Murray and DC Scott. They need to talk with you." The headmistress said kindly. Fear flickered across Tali's face, and she took a half step back.

"Tali? It's ok, you're not in trouble- we know what happened with you and Rachel." Janet said gently. "We know she was taken, and that you were there. We just don't know why you didn't report it." Tali was shaking her head, fists clenched.

"I can't. I'm sorry, I can't." She began to cry silently, tears trickling down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Tali, did they threaten you?" Asked Gill, mind clicking on the most likely reason. But the girl shook her head in response.

"Did they threaten Rachel?" Asked Janet suddenly. Tali's eyes snapped to her face and then dropped again, giving Janet the answer she needed.

"They threatened to hurt her if you told anyone." Realised Gill, closing her eyes for a second in disbelief that they hadn't realised that before.

"You can't! Please, they'll think I told you, they'll kill her!" Tali cried desperately.

"Who is 'they', Tali?" Janet asked carefully, catching the girls arms in her hands.

"I don't know." She answered shakily, tears streaming. "Please... They..."

"Tali, they won't hurt her, not yet anyway. They needed her for something, which means they need her alive- they won't kill her just because we know she's missing,' Gill told the teenager, who looked at her hopelessly.

"Are you the ones who used to work with her?" She asked curiously after a minute. They nodded, and she smiled slightly, a watery tearful smile. "She said you were good, the best, in fact. Will you find her?"

"We'll try. But we need more information first." Gill said. Tali looked at her curiously.

"I can try, but I don't know that much. You both probably know more than I do."

"Ms Chambers, we're going to take Tali back to the station with us to help us with out enquires." Gill told her.

"I don't think..." The headmistress started, but Tali interrupted her.

"It's ok miss- I want to help." The headmistress looked torn for a moment, but then relented.

"Will she need a legal adult with her?"

"This isn't a formal questioning- she's just filling in some details for us." Janet told her, guiding the teenager in front of her as they left, their hurried footsteps echoing along the corridor. Rachel's time was running out.

**_Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, you wouldn't believe the size of the smile on my face when I read them! Please tell me what you think of this one X_**


	3. Chapter 3

"Janet, Boss!" Mitch waved them over the second they walked in, so Gill instructed Tali to go sit in her office while they spoke.

"What is it?"

"I was looking into the car crash that killed Benjamin Malach while I was waiting for some info to come through on the van. Anyway, I tracked down the crash scene investigator and asked him about it. He said it's one of the strangest crashes he's ever seen."

"Why?" Asked Janet, intrigued

"Because there was no cause. Middle of a straight road, Benjamin Malach suddenly swerves sideways for no reason, driving his new car into a ditch. The really weird thing? Tali was in the car at the time."

"The kid was in the crash?" Gill exclaimed.

"Yep." Mitch popped the P. "Apparently, after the accident another motorist came across them. She dragged a semi conscious Tali from the car, but before she could go back for the father the car exploded. The body was almost completely incinerated- the wrong type of paint was used or something, so the fire burnt hotter than it would've normally. Kid was taken to hospital, diagnosed with a broken arm, fractured clavicle from the seatbelt and severe concussion. The doctors said it should have been a lot worse, but the father had put his arm over Tali, protecting her from the blast of the air bag. Probably saved her life, but only after he put it in danger."

"Jesus." Muttered Gill.

"That's not all. The woman who dragged Tali out of the car? A teacher, by the name of Lara Chambers."

"The head teacher at the academy!?" Janet exclaimed in surprise. _That_ was something she hadn't mentioned.

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Mitch looked at them with raised eyebrows.

Gill and Janet entered the office where Tali sat perched on a chair, anxious fingers fiddling with the hem of her dress.

"Tali?" Sitting down, Gill outlined what they knew so far. "None of us knew she had a younger sister, and we don't know why she disappeared. We were hoping you could help with that."

Tali shifted in her seat uncertainly, deciding where to begin. "Before five months ago, Rachel and I had no idea the other existed either. We discovered we did by accident. As far as we could work out, our lovely mother got hammered again and called Rachel for help, passed out and forgot she'd called, then woke up and called me. We both arrived at about the same time, and figured out with a bit of math that about four years after mum buggered off and left her family, she got pregnant with me. Rachel and I got talking, started texting each other and meeting up, found that we actually had quite a bit in common."

_FLASHBACK- 5 MONTHS AGO_

_"Alright- favorite book?" asked Rachel, smiling at Tali as she leaned back in her seat. They were at a small café close to the school, playing a bizarre type of twenty questions._

_"Er... Heidi." Tali decided. Rachel laughed._

_"I used to love that book as a kid! The film too..." she grinned._

_"My dad bought me books all the time when I was younger. Other than music, books were the next biggest thing we had in common. Out living room had an entire wall filled with shelves." explained Tali before she sipped the coke in front of her. "Your turn- favorite colour?"_

_"Um…Red. Same question."_

_"Blue." Tali answered without missing a beat. Rachel looked surprised._

_"Really? Why?"_

_"Because it's so versatile. There are hundreds of different shades, and each one has a different feeling or connotation. Royal blue, baby blue, sky blue, navy blue. There are loads." Rachel blinked at the answer- she'd begun to realise that Tali wasn't exactly a normal teenager._

_"Huh. OK. So how did you get into the academy? I mean, it seems expensive and you…"she trailed off awkwardly, waving a hand in the air vaguely._

_"Luck, mostly. I knew the headmistress, and she told me about the possibility of getting a scholarship, although she warned me it was unusual for someone my age. That didn't deter me though, so I went for the audition and whatnot and I got in." Tali was casual about it, but Rachel saw the glimmer of pride in her eyes._

_"Wow." She grinned, feeling a little proud herself. After all, this was her baby sister._

_"Anyway, my turn to ask a question. Er… what do you do? As a job, I mean. You haven't actually told me yet…" Tali changed the subject hastily, a slight blush colouring her cheeks._

_"I'm in the police." Rachel said, giving her a knowing look._

_"Seriously?! That's so cool- what division are you on?" Tali looked a little excited, and Rachel raised an eyebrow at her terminology. The teen shrugged. "My dad was a high priced barrister- I spent most of my younger years in his chambers at the court when he couldn't get a baby sitter. Learnt a bit."_

_"Hmm. I'm in MIT; we work the murder cases and such."_

_"MIT… that sounds familiar. Didn't one of you get abducted a little while back?" Tali frowned._

_"My boss, yeah. I'm surprised you remember."_

_"It was big news at the time. A few of the younger ones got frightened by the news channels speculating and stuff, about that and about the crimes of the woman before- we had to stay up most if the night with them."_

_"Bloody reporters. Make our job ten times harder half the time." Rachel rolled her eyes, her thoughts flashing to Kevin._

_"So other than getting kidnapped by psychos, what else do you lot do?" Tali asked. Rachel began to tell her about her job, wondering briefly if she should be giving a child friendly version._

_Nah._

_PRESENT_

"This was five months ago? Why wouldn't she tell any of us?" Janet asked, more to herself than anyone else but Tali answered anyway, looking uncomfortable.

"I...ah, don't think you were exactly talking at that point." She said tentatively, shooting her an apologetic look. Janet winced slightly, realising this must have come about just after they were arguing, when they still weren't speaking properly.

"Alright, so what possessed Rachel to go and do a vanishing act on us?" Gill asked impatiently. Tali swallowed.

"A month after we'd met, Rachel was diagnosed with a tumour on the frontal lobe of her brain. It affected her personality, her decision making, her memory and her coordination, as well as a few other things." She told them. Janet and Gill stared at her, stunned.

"How did we not realise that?" Whispered Janet in horror. Tali's mouth pressed into a hard line.

"Did you seriously not see that she was acting a little out of character sometimes, or making strange decisions? Or that her coordination was off now and then, or her speech strange?" She asked incredulously. Gill and Janet exchanged a horror filled glance.

"We thought she was hungover all the time, and just acting out." Janet put her face in her hands, guilt and grief running through her as it dawned on her that she hadn't realised her best friend was sick.

"Jesus." Mumbled Tali, before continuing with her story. "Anyway, she was booked in for surgery a week later, so immediately quit here and went off grid. She kept saying she didn't want to be a bother, or make you all disappointed. She didn't want you to see her as weak."

"But we wouldn't have! She was ill!" Cried Janet, upset.

"I know that! But she wasn't thinking clearly, and she was dead set on it. Since she was actually still talking to me, I figured it was better for her to have one friend who knew she was safe and could help look after her, rather than push the subject and have her block me out as well and her end up being completely alone.

"Anyway. she had the surgery, which went well but she didn't wake up when she should've. The doctors didn't know why, couldn't find any cause as to why she was still unconscious. Then, out of the blue a week later she opened her eyes. Shocked the hell out of everyone. The tumour, at first look had been completely removed- the surgery was a success. There was only one problem- she had complete retrograde amnesia. She couldn't remember so much as her own name."

_FLASHBACK- 4 MONTHS AGO_

_"You're awake!" Tali stopped in shock as she bounced into the room, hoisting her bag onto her shoulder, but then grinned joyfully._

_"Er, yeah. Seems that way." Rachel gave her an small smile, which turned into a look of confusion as she looked at Tali more closely. "You're a little young to be a doctor, aren't you?"_

_Tali stopped in her tracks, searching her face for some kind of humour._

_"You don't know who I am?" she asked uncertainly. Rachel shook her head. _

_"Sorry. Oh god, you aren't my daughter, are you?!" she questioned as the thought occurred to her._

_"No! No- I'm your sister. Well, half sister." Tali answered. "What _do _you remember?"_

_"Erm… nothing?" Rachel said hesitantly. Tali blinked in shock._

_"Nothing?!" she whispered. "Well _Harah._"_

_"Ya what?" Rachel asked, confusion written all over her face._

_"It's Hebrew… never mind. You remember absolutely nothing?" She checked. Rachel shook her head. _

_"Sorry." She offered. Tali took a deep breath._

_"I'm, ah… going to get a doctor." She told Rachel, before escaping from the room._

_PRESENT_

"Shit." Muttered Gill, running a hand through her hair as Janet stared out of the window, fighting back tears.

"I helped her the best I could with her memories, but I only knew what she'd told me about her life. I didn't even know where she lived." Tali finished, silently watching the two women in the room.

"Hell. So… where does she live now?" Gill asked her, ignoring the guilt she felt and concentrating on finding her officer.

"A flat in central Manchester- my father owned it, but there was a glitch in the paperwork so it wasn't sold along with the rest of his assets." Tali answered.

"This would be the one your post gets delivered to?" checked Janet.

"…It's a little creepy that you know that." Commented Tali. "But yeah, it belongs to me now, so I just get anything I don't want going through school there. Nobody's clicked yet."

"Lovely to know social services does its job." Muttered Gill sarcastically. She glanced at Janet. "We have to tell her family, and the boys."

"I'll call Alison." Janet slipped out the room as a tear escaped, moving quickly through the station until she reached the toilets. She locked herself in a stool and slid to the floor, quiet sobs escaping as she brought her knees to her chest. Rachel had been dealing with a tumour, and she'd completely missed it.

"Oh god." She pressed her hand to her mouth to muffle the sobs, her entire body shaking as months of pain and uncertainty and grief washed and overwhelmed over her. She jumped when she felt an arm slip around her shoulders and looked up to see a sympathetic Gill kneeling next to her. She hasn't even heard the lock on the door click open.

"I thought the two of you had made up, that you were back on speaking terms?" The woman asked when she'd finally calmed down. Janet wiped the tears from her face.

"We had. But the pair of us had said some goddamn awful things to each other, things you can't just forget about and move on from. We were friends, but it was... A little tense." Janet hiccupped. Gill rubbed her arm comfortingly. "I was so horrible to her Gill. Called her a drunk and all sorts of things and the whole time she-" Janet let out another sob, causing Gill to hold her tighter.

"We both did. I think we all did." She told Janet, feeling guilty herself for the way she'd torn into her DC.

"We've got to find her. She has no memories- we have to find her." Janet whispered, thinking of what it must be like to have absolutely no recollection of your life.

"We will." Gill promised, hoping to whatever higher power there was that she was telling the truth.

**_So how did I do? Did you see it coming? :-)) X_**


	4. Chapter 4

The team sat in the briefing room, silent and stunned with the news that Gill had just told them, with Tali back at school due to the lateness of the hour. It was past eleven, and all were struggling to keep their eyes open.

"How… how long was she sick? Before she left?" asked Pete.

"It's difficult to be sure, but for several months at least." Gill answered.

"But she's ok now? The doctors got rid of the tumour?" Lee spoke up. Gill glanced at Janet before answering.

"They think so. Rachel was due in for a scan to check this week, which makes it doubly important we find her, because if the surgery wasn't completely successful she needs immediate further treatment." Gill looked around at the four men and Janet, seeing their despondency and guilt and realised for the first time that despite her faults Rachel was very much loved amongst her team. She only hoped she got the chance to know it.

"So what do we know?" she asked, hoping to distract them with the investigation.

"Well… the van was a hire from a company that rents vans, cars and bikes to anyone who can pay. There're no checks as such, but I interviewed the owner- John Parks- who said that they _do _ask for proof of a licence." Mitch started. Gill opened her mouth, but before she could speak Pete interrupted.

"John Parks?" he shuffled through his papers with a frown.

"What is it?" asked Janet.

"I know that name… why do I know that name... got it! He rented the apartment next to Rachels' three month ago but I couldn't track him down for reasons unknown. I made a note to try again later." He said, scanning his notes. Janet frowned.

"The guy who owns the van Rach was abducted in lives next door to her…?" Janet's tone was incredulous.

"Pete, take Mitch and go down there in the morning. I want him found." Gill instructed. Her gut was tingling- this was important, she knew it.

"Rob, how's the house to house coming along?" She spared the young man a glance.

"I, er... Nothing so far. A few people heard, er, screaming, but passed it off as drunks. Nobody saw anything useful." He stuttered, getting flustered as she pinned him with a look.

"Keep at it." She told him, to which he nodded. "Lee?"

"I think I have a lead. In the original CCTV of Rachel and Tali in the city centre, there's a man at the cafe behind them. He's sitting outside, but he's not drinking or eating, and leaves in the same direction as them seconds after they walk out of frame. The same man is then on a few of the streets they walk down, always very inconspicuous and blending in. Without training or at least the memory of it there's no reason Bailey should have spotted him." Lee ran through his findings, handing them a print out of the man.

"Well shit." Pete cursed as he got a look at the picture.

"What?" Asked Janet, slightly exasperated with the men's lack of communication. Wordlessly, Pete held up the handout alongside his papers, which showed a picture of the same man.

"Rachel was being followed by her neighbour who owned the van that kidnapped her? That's one hell of a coincidence." Muttered Mitch. Gill pressed her mouth into a hard line.

"Early morning, we're raiding his addresses. Rob, organise that would you? We need a warrant for his arrest and any and all properties, vehicles, anything that might lead us to Rachel." She ordered.

"Five o'clock it is boss." He answered. Unusually, nobody moaned.

"Alright, go home, get some sleep. You heard the man- we're here bright and early tomorrow." Gill gathered up her papers and strode away into her office, a wave of exhaustion hitting her suddenly. She watched out of the blinds as Janet and the boys gradually gathered up their things and wandered home, only dropping her head into her hands when she was alone.

"Hiya slap." Gill looked up to see Julie Dodson standing in the doorway. She sent her an exhausted smile, which she was pretty sure ended up looking like a grimace.

"Hi." Julie came in further, running her eyes over her sympathetically.

"You look like hell." She commented. Gill rolled her eyes.

"Cheers."

"No news on Bailey?" Julie asked, taking a seat in front of the desk.

"Some. We're raiding a place in the morning, but I don't think she'll be there." Gill rubbed her neck anxiously, chewing her lip.

"Wonderful. You gonna tell me what's really got you all bothered?" Julie looked at her expectantly, an eyebrow raised. Gill let out a choked laugh.

"She was sick, Julie, really sick. She had a brain tumour, for fucks sake and none of us realised. We were too busy condemning her to look any deeper. God, I sat here and I basically told her that her life was a wreck and she couldn't be an officer if she didn't sort it. And the whole time she had a fucking tumour." Her tone was bitter and full of grief.

"Gill… you couldn't have known. Even she didn't know- how were you meant to?" Julie asked gently. Gill rested her head in her hands.

"I should have." She muttered. "Aw, fuck Julie. First Andy, then Kevin and now Rachel. What the hell am I doing to the people on my team?"

"This isn't on you." Julie told her. When no answer came, she circled around the desk and knelt in front of her friend. "Gill. None of this is your fault. Andy was damaged long before he ever met you, and Kevin's always been a bloody moron. And Rachel was sick, Gill, and nobody could have known. Even Janet didn't know, and she spent more time with her than her own kids. This isn't on you."

Gill nodded slowly. Julie gave her a smile, grasping her hands and hauling her to her feet.

"C'mon cock. I'll drive you home- you'll have to beg a lift off of Sammy in the morning."

Janet snuck into her house silently, locking the door behind her and dumping her coat down. Making her way to the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of wine and downed it in a few gulps, sighing heavily.

"Mum?" Janet's head shot up to see Taisie hovering in the doorway.

"Tais? What're you doing up- is everything ok?" she asked, running through scenarios in her head. The girl nodded slightly.

"Did… did you find Rachel?" she asked hesitantly. Janet exhaled heavily, holding out her arms for her youngest daughter.

"No sweetheart. But we've got a couple of leads which we're chasing down tomorrow." Janet answered, wondering how she was supposed to tell her that even if they did find her, she might die in a few months anyway.

"Oh." Taisie cuddled into her arms for a few minutes, which was unusual in itself. It wasn't 'cool' now to hug your mum.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" murmured Janet. Taisie was silent. Janet nudged her gently, forcing her head up to look at her. "Hey?"

"I… I just…" Taisie couldn't decide on her words, stumbling and looking lost. Janet stroked her hair soothingly as she waited for her to get her thoughts in order.

"I… I didn't get to see her." Taisie stopped, as if that was supposed to explain everything.

"I'm sorry Tais, I don't understand." Janet said, nonplussed.

"Since… Kevin, I haven't seen her. What if she thinks I hate her?" Janet sighed, pulling her tearful daughter in closer.

"Oh sweetheart, she knows you don't hate her." She told the fifteen year old, although she wasn't convinced herself.

"But…" Taisie started, until footsteps sounded on the stairs and she abruptly shut up. Dorothy appeared, blinking sleep from her eyes.

"What's all this then?" she asked. Taisie shrugged, kissing Janet on the cheek before disappearing upstairs to bed. Once she was out of sight, Janet allowed herself to drop her head into her hands once again.

"What's wrong love?" Dorothy sat opposite her.

"She was sick mum. Really sick, and none of us even realised." Janet said, not raising her head.

"Who was?"

"Rachel. She had a brain tumour- she wasn't just drunk or hungover or making bad decisions because she could, she had a bloody tumour." Janet felt tears roll down her face. Dorothy looked shocked, flailing for something to say.

"You spoke to her then." She settled on. Janet shook her head sadly.

"I wish. She has a younger sister- only a few months older than Taisie. They met a few months ago; it was her who told us. Tali, her name is."

"So she's spoken to Rachel?" asked Dorothy, trying to keep up with the scattered information she was getting.

"Yeah. Rachel thought that we would be disappointed in her if we found out she was sick, so she hid it from us and then quit when she had to have surgery. Tali was the only person she had contact with." Janet relayed the information in a monotone, guilt overwhelming her.

"She had surgery? So… she's ok now, then?" Dorothy inquired.

"Maybe. She was supposed to be in for a check up this week, to see if the surgery had worked. God, how am I supposed to tell the girls that even if we find her she could die anyway?" Dorothy looked at her sympathetically.

"WHAT?" Janet whipped around to find Elise and Taisie standing in the hallway, shock and anger on their faces.

"Oh Jesus." Janet muttered. She took a deep breath. "Tais, Lise…"

"What did you mean, 'she could die anyway'?" demanded Taisie. She twisted her fingers in her sisters top, and unusually, Elise didn't object, or ridicule her.

"Come here, sit down. I can't believe I'm doing this at midnight." She mumbled the last bit. "Alright, um… ok. Girls, here's the situation and I'm not going to sugarcoat this because I think you're too old for that. Rachel left because she was sick- really sick. She had cancer."

Janet watched as the girls expressions went through a myriad of expressions, from worry and confusion to grief and fear.

"But… she'll be ok, won't she?" asked Taisie.

"We don't know. She had a tumour on her brain, on the frontal lobe. From what I understand, this would have affected her decisions, her mood, her behavior… her very personality. It's probably why she acted as she did before she disappeared."

"But that's one of the safest. On the frontal lobe, they can operate and it's only fatal in a small percentage of cases, isn't it?" Elise asked. The other three looked at her in surprise, to which she shrugged, and said simply. "Biology."

"Um… ok, if you say so." Janet was surprised at her daughter.

"So she will be ok?" asked Taisie, happier now.

"As I said, we don't know." Janet took in another breath, before explaining the rest of the case to them, in a way that wouldn't compromise any convictions and also told them about Tali.

"Poor her." Said Elise. "Can you imagine that, being the only person she trusted and then not even being able to help her when she was abducted? It must be horrible."

Janet felt a rush of pride at her daughters' words, because not even she had thought of it from Tali's point of view.

"Yeah…" she agreed thoughtfully.

"Rachel will be alright." Taisie said suddenly. "I mean, it's Rachel. She's got through loads- a silly little tumour wouldn't beat her. She'll be fine."

Janet sincerely hoped she was right.

At five o'clock the next morning, two teams were assembled to raid John Parks work and home residence. Rachel's absence felt odd- she would normally be on the front line but today Janet stood next to Rob, who was filling in.

"Go go go!" the call came over the radio, and the teams simultaneously burst into the flat and the garage.

"Police!"

"Police, stay where you are!"

"Police!" The shouts went out as officers swarmed over the properties.

"Got a body!" the shout came from the back of the flat, and Janet's heart jumped painfully, her hands trembling.

"I got one too!" another call was made. Janet peeked around the doorway with a sick feeling, dodging the CSU officers who'd entered.

"Female?" she asked, heartbeat sounding in her ears.

"Two males." One of the officers answered her. Relief swept through her, and she gasped in a breath of not-so-fresh air. Janet turned around and walked through the flat she was in. It was plain, with no trinkets or personal items anywhere, the walls conspicuously bare. Pizza boxes and take away containers littered the kitchen, while the living room consisted simply of a small television and an armchair, with an old dining chair serving as a coffee table.

"Cozy." Mumbled Janet to herself as she sorted through some post on the coffee table/chair.

"Janet!? I think you need to see this…" Robs' voice called from the bedroom, prompting Janet to drop the letters and make her way through to the room.

"What is- Jesus!" she stopped a few steps into the room, swallowing thickly as she exchanged a glance with Rob.

"Christ." She whispered, staring at the horror in front of her.

**_Dum dum dum! So how was it? X_**


	5. Chapter 5

Janet stared around the room with an open mouth and wide eyes. Every wall was plastered with photos of Rachel in various situations, obviously taken without her knowledge. Even the ceiling was covered, not an inch of space free while women's clothing and underwear littered the room, most stained with bodily fluids that Janet _really _wished she didn't have to think about.

"Jesus." She repeated in disgust.

"Yeah." Said Rob with the same tone, before blushing violently as his eyes fixed on the wall closest to the bed. "Oh…ah, maybe we should ask only female CSU's to process in here…"

"Hmm?" Janet followed his embarrassed gesture to the wall, before cursing again, blushing herself at the pictures and feeling a surge of anger that Rachel had been taken advantage of in that way. Sending a silent apology to Rachel for invading her privacy so, she peered closer at the pictures.

"A lot of these have a blur around the edges." She noted.

"Do they?" Rob had his back turned away from the wall, face a brilliant red.

"Yeah, and she's obviously not aware they're being taken." She glanced around the room, trying to get her bearings.

"Mitch, you receiving?" she lifted the radio to her lips, waiting for a response. Rob looked at her quizzically.

"Yeah, go ahead Janet." The response crackled through.

"You studied these flats yeah? Are they opposites to each other?" she asked.

"Yeah, like a mirror. Why?"

"A theory. Thanks- Out." She clipped the radio to her belt and began scanning the walls again.

"What are you thinking?" asked Rob.

"The pictures- they were taken by a spy cam. If the flats are mirrored, then Rachels bedroom would be next to this one, meaning there's probably a camera or hole in here somewhere." Janet explained quickly, disgust marring her tone. Rob made a similar face, but searched the walls all the same, although avoiding _that _wall. They continued to search for over an hour, moving around the furniture and piles of clothes in an effort to find what they were looking for.

"Got it." He said suddenly. He pointed out the tiny hole to her, and she knelt down, peering through it. On the other side, she could see a messy bed that didn't look like it had been made in a while. Typical Rachel, she smiled.

"I'm pretty sure that's the view from those photos." She told Rob.

"Nice guy." He said sarcastically. She shot him a grimace, dialing Gill on her mobile.

"Yeah?" the woman answered shortly.

"Morning to you too. Listen, I'm at Parks' flat with Rob- he's obviously been stalking Rachel a while. In fact, I'd say he's obsessed with her. I'm thinking if he _was _that enamoured, he might have gotten careless, and maybe Tali saw him when she was with Rachel. It's a long shot, but if she can help give a timeline it might help us work out what he's likely to do in the next few days." Janet waited for a response.

"When you say he's been stalking her…?"

"Pictures, and I'm pretty sure some of the stuff in here's hers too- hospital bracelet, t-shirt, underwear etc. He's a wackjob, but a smart one." She picked up the first items, showing them pointedly to Rob and looking through some of the others at the same time.

"I hate those ones. Alright, get down to the Gerillio's with a picture and ask Tali. Tell you what, take Rob with you and interview the head teacher while you're there; I don't think she has anything to do with this but it's always nice to tie up loose ends." Gill told her.

"Got it boss. Speak later." Janet hung up and gestured to Rob. "C'mon. You're with me."

* * *

"Hello again- we need to talk with Tali Malach?" Janet smiled at the receptionist, who scowled.

"I'm afraid she's-" she began, but was interrupted by a cold voice from behind them.

"It's OK Trish, they're an exception." Janet turned, smiling politely at the woman behind them.

"Ms Chambers." She greeted, before introducing Rob to her and following her through the school, recognising that they were going the same way as before. They arrived at the darkened hall, slipping through the doors. Music was playing throughout the hall and Janet recognised Tali on stage, singing alongside the boy she'd briefly met before. Her voice was hauntingly beautiful, and rose and fell with the boys' in perfect harmony.

_We're all of us stars  
We're fading away  
Just try not to worry  
You'll see us some day  
Just take what you need  
And be on your way  
And stop crying your heart out  
Stop crying your heart out  
Stop crying your heart out_

Janet couldn't tear her eyes from the pair. Tali's fingers danced over the keys of the piano with an easy elegance that Janet had never been able to achieve herself while the boy strummed on the guitar. As their song trailed off, the two teenagers shot a satisfied grin at each other.

"You good?" the boy asked Tali, who nodded.

"Yep. Can we get the backing for it- I think it's missing something? As amazing as your playing is." She said with a teasing smile, leaning up to peck him on the lips.

"Tali." Lara walked out of the shadows, becoming visible to the pair. "DC Scott's here again- she needs to talk with you."

"Coming!" Tali hopped down from the stage and made her way over to them. "Hi."

"Hi Tali. Sorry to interrupt, but we need to know if you recognise this man." Janet handed her the photo. She looked at it for a moment, then frowned.

"Yeah, I do. When Rachel was in hospital, I walked in one day found this guy standing over her. He said he'd just got the wrong room and hadn't realised but something seemed a little off. I figured it was nothing, just me being stressy. Who is he?" she asked, looking at them

"We think he was stalking her. Have you seen him any other times?" Tali studied the picture with wide eyes for a long moment, memory sparking.

_FLASHBACK- 4 1/2 MONTHS_

_"So how did you end up at the academy? I mean, from what you've told me your dad wouldn't have wanted you to leave home..." Rachel asked as they walked along the path. It was fairly late, and nobody else was in the park they were walking though._

_"My dad wasn't around by that time." At Rachel's questioning look, she elaborated. "My dad was killed a few weeks before my ninth birthday. We were driving home from the airport- we'd been to visits my grandparents in Israel- when dad swerved. I was half asleep, never did find out why he did. Anyway, the car flipped. I was trapped by my seatbelt, had a broken arm and a fractured clavicle and my father was unconscious beside me; I was in a right state, completely hysterical. There was a car driving behind us, the driver pulled me out when she saw the petrol leaking but the car exploded before she could go back for my dad. The woman stayed with me until the emergency services arrived and all through the hospital- I later learnt she was the headmistress of a performing arts academy."_

_"Your Ms Chambers?" _

_"Yup. That's how I knew her- she didn't leave my side. Was a blessing in disguise actually, I was terrified and had concussion- not a good combination. Anyway, the doctors called social services because I was alone, so she left when the worker turned up and I was asleep, or passed out depending on which way you look at it. At some point, mum turned up and told them who she was and that she just hadn't been in the car. Failed to mention she had no right to custody or visitation, but the social worker didn't bother to check and just handed me over. Nobody twigged, and by the time I woke up it was too late."_

_"Jesus. I'm sorry kid." Rachel told her. Tali shrugged, shoving her hands in her pockets as they continued to walk._

_"Of course, as soon as she realised she couldn't access any of the money she soon gave up on the being a mum thing." She grinned, looking mischievous._

_"You what?" Asked Rachel, amused at her expression._

_"Dad was very clever. He knew if anything happened to him, she might get custody so he put a clause in his will- nobody apart from me could touch any of the money, unless my life was in danger if they didn't. And I can't touch it till I'm eighteen. Soon as mum realised, she went back to shacking up with any rich bloke who would take her and I looked after myself."_

_"Hang on, she just left you?" Rachel felt a flicker of anger- even _she _wouldn't leave a nine year old by herself._

_"Don't complain. It wasn't like I was alone _all _the time- just when she had a boyfriend. Besides, it was only during term. I spent all of my holidays in Israel at that point." Tali explained. _

_"You don't now?"_

_"I spend part of summer there, but my grandparents are too old to worry about a teenager, and I only remind them of the son they lost. I spend most of my holidays at school."_

_"At school?" Rachel looked horrified, causing Tali to giggle._

_"It's actually kind of fun. There's maybe five other kids who do the same, and Ms Chambers stays with us, along with one of the male teachers. We pretty much have the run of the place." Rachel didn't look convinced._

_"So you don't see a lot of mum then?" She asked, slinging an arm around Tali's shoulders._

_"You're joking- the only time I go near her is when she calls, because the last time I ignored her I ended up with the police telling me she'd been arrested. Luckily, it's not very often." Tali rolled her eyes at the memory._

_"Yeah... You're probably not wanting to go near her at the moment. She just broke up my co workers marriage." Rachel grimaced at that._

_"She broke... actually, I don't want to know." Tali decided. Ahead of them, a man was sitting on a bench reading a newspaper._

_"That's weird." She commented. Rachel followed her gaze._

_"What?"_

_"It's half seven at night. Why would he be reading a morning newspaper at this time?" Tali wondered._

_"He's probably got a screw loose- it's nothing, C'mon, or you'll miss curfew." Rachel tugged her away, chattering about Allison, and one of her memories. Tali glanced back however, and saw the man watching them. She felt a shiver run down her spine as her eyes met his, but he turned away back to his newspaper quickly, and she tuned into what Rachel was saying. She was probably right- he just had a screw loose._

_PRESENT_

"Oh my god." Whispered Tali, staring at the picture in her hands.

"Tali?" Janet touched her arm gently, bringing her back to the present. Tali looked up at her with horror in her eyes.

"He… he followed her, didn't he? I never even noticed until now." She turned her gaze back to the picture.

"Noticed what Tali? Have you seen him before?" pressed Janet. Tali nodded.

"Just… little things. A face in a café, a man I saw more than once in a short time, a guy in the park. I didn't think anything of it until now, but it's him. It's the same person." Tali was pale, trembling slightly as she pushed the picture back into Janet's hands.

"Tali, this wasn't your fault." Janet automatically soothed the distressed girl, reminded of her own daughters last night.

"But I didn't even realise!" the girl started, but Janet shook her head.

"And not many people would have remembered at all, Tali. You did well- we have a better chance at finding Rachel now." Lara came forward and placed her hands on Tali's shoulders, murmuring to her softly.

"She's right, you did really well. Go with Anthony, Tal, go have some lunch and then back to class. It will be a distraction for you." She pushed Tali gently towards the boy, who immediately infolded Tali into a hug before she turned back to Janet and Rob, beginning to walk them out.

"This isn't easy for her, you know." She told them.

"I can imagine." Janet said. "Lara… if you don't mind me asking, you knew Tali before she came here, didn't you?"

Lara looked taken aback. "Yes, I did. And I'm assuming you know how I met her too?"

"We only ask because you didn't mention it the last time we were here." Janet said, recognising the flash of defiance in the other woman's eyes.

"As I told you before, Tali is exceptionally talented, and always has been. She won her scholarship fairly, but if it came out that she knew me before she auditioned, some people may not see it that way. Tali struggles to fit in as it is, because she doesn't go home during the holidays. Adding to that wouldn't be fair on her, or anyone else." They reached the doors to the school.

"Now if there's nothing else, I have a show to prepare for." Ms Chambers turned on her heel and strode away, leaving a bemused Janet and Rob in her wake.

"Is it me, or did she seem overly hostile?" Rob asked.

"Nope- it's not just you." Janet answered, watching the retreating woman, before walking away herself.

_**Thanks so much for the reviews! So what do you think of this one? **_

_**P.S. The song Tali and Anthony sing is 'stop crying your heart out' by Oasis. **_

_**X**_


	6. Chapter 6

"Ok, so where are we?" Gill stared around at them all through tired eyes. Julie Dodson sat next to her, although she was SIO in this case.

"Well, we've identified the bodies on the flat as the two men who actually abducted Rachel. The doc says they both died of drug overdoses- she thinks they're self-inflicted but is running some checks. Both had various records for possession of drugs, so we're thinking that they're junkies who wanted the money, then splurged out and accidently OD'ed." Janet started. "We also know that John Parks was definitely stalking Rachel. Once she was shown the picture, Tali recognised him, and is absolutely sure that she's seen him before."

"Following Rachel, you mean?" checked Julie.

"Yeah." Janet nodded.

"It's obvious from his flat that he's obsessed with her, but there's nothing there that would actually implicate him in her disappearance. Other than the dead bodies." Rob spoke up.

"There was nothing at the garage either." Mitch said. "Although, we spoke to some of his co-workers, they said he'd begun talking about his 'girlfriend' about six months ago. A few were pretty sure he'd called her Rachel."

"So this isn't a normal stalker case- he actually believes they're in a relationship?" asked Julie apprehensively.

"Apparently."

"What happens if she breaks that fantasy? I mean, it _is_ inevitable…" Pete inquired anxiously.

"Nothing good, I imagine." Julie exchanged a concerned glance with Gill.

"What I'm wondering is where did he plan a kidnap?" Janet asked. "I mean, this wasn't just spontaneous, it took careful planning, and quite a bit of money. How did he work it around his business?"

"He's the boss- I guess he doesn't need permission to take time off." Suggested Pete.

"And what about Lara Chambers?" Rob broke in. "She's overly protective of Tali, and clearly objects to us being in the school but she won't go against Tali's wishes. That's not normal for a head teacher."

Janet sighed, biting the end of her pen. "That _could_ be explained away. I mean, Tali is her responsibility, and they've known each other since Tali was nine. It could be completely innocent, plus she doesn't have any motive to help John Parks.

"Besides, even if she does have something to do with this, I don't think Tali is in any danger from her. Based on her behavior, she seems so genuinely care for the kid." Rob nodded in agreement, making a note on his paper.

"Can you guarantee her safety Jan?" Gill asked. Janet shook her head.

"No."

"Then keep an eye on her. I don't like Ms Chambers' attitude, and I'd rather not end up having to explain to Rachel we got her sister killed." Gill told her, before she steered their conversation back on track.

"So John Parks?" she prompted.

"He has to have a property we haven't found yet, where he planned all of this and maybe where he's keeping Rachel." Lee rubbed the back of his neck as he scowled at the paper in front of him.

"Alright- I want every friend, every family member interviewed. I want someone to talk to the guy who sold him his toilet seat if necessary, but I want something. Rob, organise that would you?" Gill said strongly. They all nodded as she strode out, and Rob immediately started to organise them.

* * *

Two days later, and John Parks' friends, family and acquaintances had all been interviewed and questioned, and not one had any clue where he was. The team sat at their desks, despondent at their lack of progress.

"Oi, boss is on TV!" Pete called. They crowded around, confused.

"She tell you she was going to do a conference?" Mitch asked Janet. She shook her head, just as bewildered as they were. They quietened down as Gill began to speak, cameras flashing.

"Good morning, and thank you all for coming. I'm DCI Gill Murray of the MIT, and I'm here to personally appeal to the public for information. Last Sunday, one of my officers- DC Rachel Bailey- was abducted off of the street by John Parks, the man you can currently see on your screens. We know this man has been obsessed with her for some while, and has finally taken his fixation to a new level. This is particularly concerning as Rachel is currently suffering from retrograde amnesia, meaning she has no memory of her entire life." Gill took a deep breath, staring into the cameras.

"Rachel is one of the best young officers I have ever had the pleasure to work with. She isn't perfect; she's impetuous, often insensitive and always impossibly stubborn. She's also extremely dedicated, amazingly intelligent and a huge asset to force, and to my team. She has a family at home desperately waiting for news, so please, if you have any idea where she or John Parks might be, or if you have any information at all, call the number on your screens. And Rachel, if you're watching this then know that we are coming as fast as we can. Thank you." Gill gave polite nod before exiting the stage.

"She has a heart?" asked a stunned Lee. Janet thwacked him with a folder, although she was a little surprised herself. Then the phones started ringing.

When Gill walked in an hour later, it was to a round of applause and congratulations. She started in surprise, but a small smile broke over her face.

"Oi, get back to work! Those phones won't bloody well answer themselves." She scolded, before vanishing into her office.

The phones rang long into the night, when another shift took over to sort through the incredible mass of hoaxes, fame seekers and do-gooders. The team stumbled in early the next morning, bleary eyed and exhausted. Gill had walked in ten minutes after Janet, not looking any better than the rest of them but before she could go into her office, the desk sergeant flew in, panting slightly.

"Ma'am! There's a woman downstairs, says John Parks is staying in her B&B." Gill looked up and gestured to Rob to follow her.

"You think it's a nutjob?" Rob asked as they weaved down corridors.

"I hope not. We could do with some bloody luck."

Back in the squad room, you could cut the atmosphere with a knife as they waited for news. The phone calls had thankfully trailed off although they still rung regularly. Janet paced anxiously, fingers fiddling with her necklace.

"Would you quit it? You're making me nervous." Mitch finally threw a paper ball at her head.

"Sorry."

Rob burst in the door, making them all jump. "We think it's genuine! Grab your stuff; we're moving out in ten. Briefing in the car park." He called out. Hope sparked in Janet, and she shot a grin at Mitch, who smiled back nervously. She barely listened during the briefing, nerves tingling with anticipation and her feet jiggling on the ground as adrenaline rushed through her. They travelled to the house in a strange mixture of tense humour, the jibes and digs flying thick and fast.

"Go go go!" they flew into the house, Janet making her way immediately upstairs to the room where the owner had claimed Parks was staying. She burst in, Pete hot on her tail and felt a surge of elation as she recognised the astonished man on the bed as John Parks.

"John Parks, you're under arrest for the abduction of Rachel Bailey. You do not have to say anything…"

John Parks said nothing, although he struggled as the cuffs were clapped on. Janet couldn't help the satisfied smirk that escaped as she closed them harshly. She pulled him downstairs and handed him off to two uniforms who shut him in the back of a car, before she turned and went to help search the B&B.

24 HOURS LATER

"It's no use. Even if he wanted to help us, he's absolutely loopy." Janet flopped into her seat and dropped her head onto her desk after interviewing John Parks.

"That bad?" asked Pete.

"Worse." Mitch answered for her as he sat down as well, having sat in with her. Gill and Julie entered behind them.

"He's completely barmy." Gill declared. Julie sighed.

"Rachel could be anywhere. He's had her for days- he could have stashed her in bloody Kent for all we know."

"The irony of it is if Rachel _was _here, she could probably get him to crack. No offense Janet." Gill shot her a look.

"Some taken." Janet gave a weak smile.

"There was nothing in his room?" interrupted Mitch. Pete shook his head.

"Nope. Just a few clothes and his wallet. We've only got twenty four hours left, and then we have to let him go."

"What if we could bring her here?" Janet said suddenly, before anyone else could say anything.

"Aye?" Gill looked at her with some concern.

"Rachel! What if we could bring her here?" the group stared at her worriedly.

"Jan… Rachel's been abducted." Gill said slowly. Janet rolled her eyes slightly.

"Yes, I know that. But… Parks believes that he and Rachel are in a relationship, so surely he'll talk to her!" Janet grinned, excitedly.

"Janet…" started Gill

"Oh, I know, Rach isn't here. But Tali is."

"I'm not following." Mitch proclaimed bemusedly.

"Tali and Rachel look a lot alike. If we got her in heels and kept her in the shadows, she could pass for Rachel easily. I know it's not exactly orthodox, but she might be able to trip him up, get him to say where he's keeping Rachel!" Janet grinned triumphantly at them, eyes alight.

"The chief con will never go for it. And she's a teenager for Gods sake!" Julie said, shaking her head.

"So don't tell her! This is Rachel's life we're talking about- we have no idea what kind of place he left her in. So it's breaking protocol a little…"

"A little?! Janet, this is so far away from protocol you're in the fucking arctic!" Gill exclaimed. Janet looked at her angrily.

"Then we'll bring a coat with us! Gill, we need to do this! There's no other way!" she pleaded.

"She's right. Rachel might be a bloody idiot sometimes, but she's our friend. We have to save her." Agreed Pete. Janet shot him a grateful look. Gill exchanged a glance with Julie.

"Oh hell. If we're gonna lose our jobs we might as well make sure we save Rachel first." Julie sighed. "I agree with them."

Gill groaned slightly, but nodded. "Fine. Janet, call Tali and tell her what we want her to do. We still need her cooperation, and see if she has a pair of heels." She strode into her office, muttering to herself about impossible teams and stupid ideas. Janet dialed Tali's number quickly, and explained the plan to her. The teenager agreed willingly, desperate to help in any way she could.

"Oh, that reminds me, do you have a pair of heels and something with a hood you can wear? Rachel's taller then you, and you're not identical so…" Janet asked as they were about to hang up.

"Janet, I go to a performing arts school. You could ask me to dress up as a dalek and I'd be able to do it. I'll see you soon." The amusement in Tali's voice was clear, as was the nervousness.

"See you soon kid." Janet _really _hoped her plan was going to work.

_**Sorry about the time jumps, but otherwise this would've taken an eternity! What did you think of it- too confusing? X**_


	7. Chapter 7

"DC Scott, this young lady was downstairs and there was a notice to bring her straight up?" the desk sergeant led Tali into the office. Janet turned thankfully to see the teenager, but stopped suddenly as she caught sight of her.

Her brunette curls hung around her face, helping to conceal it while her healed boots gave her inches of extra height. Wearing a thin, hooded jacket with a leather one over it paired with jeans, she smiled shyly as she caught sight of Janet.

"Hey. Am I tall enough? I couldn't work it out…" Janet floundered for words as she stared. Tali looked nervous. "What's wrong?"

"I… nothing, I'm sorry. You just look a lot like Rachel." Janet apologised. Tali looked puzzled.

"I thought that was the idea?"

"It is. You just… look _a lot _like her. Even the way you're dressed." Janet explained, causing Tali looked down at her clothes.

"Oh. _That _bit wasn't intentional." She said apologetically but Janet waved it off with a smile.

"No, it's ok. It's probably better that way. Are you ready?" she asked. Tali nodded.

"Yep." Janet led her downstairs to the interview rooms, where the lights had been darkened with the excuse that it was late at night. It wasn't, but John Parks didn't know that.

Tali took a deep breath and exchanged a final glance with Janet, who made her way into the observation room where Gill and Julie where waiting, before lifting her hood and silently slipping into the interview room. Once in there, she stayed by the door as she let her eyes adjust to the light so she could make out the shape of the man sitting at the table.

"John?" she spoke softly, trying to sound as much like Rachel as possible. His head snapped up, searching the murky room till he saw her figure.

"Rachel?! What… how did you…?" he stuttered. He tried to rise from his seat, but the handcuffs attached to the table prevented him from doing so.

"How did I what?" Tali asked sweetly.

"…Get in here?" asked John. Tali shrugged gracefully.

"I have my ways. Why are you so surprised to see me, John?" she asked smoothly.

"Because you shouldn't have been able to get out of-" he cut of abruptly.

"Out of where?" Tali enquired, mentally crossing her fingers. But no answer came. "John?"

"You can't have got here! So who are you?" he cried suspiciously, pulling at the cuffs. Tali swallowed thickly, but easily kept her voice controlled.

"Don't you know me, John? I thought of you of all people…" she trailed of pointedly, repulsion curling in her stomach.

"I… yes. Yes, I do know you. Come closer?" he rattled the cuffs pointedly, gazing at Tali, who shook her head.

"I think I better stay over here, in case anyone comes in. May I ask you something, John?" she dropped her voice even lower, silently thanking the acting lessons the school made them take. Parks made a choking sound.

"Y… yes." He croaked.

"The place you left me in- how did you find it?"

"What do you mean?" he asked sharply. Tali put a flattering, coaxing note in her voice.

"Well… I mean, it was just so _clever. _Nobody's found it yet- you must be _very_ talented to be able to pick out a place like that. How did you?" she said sultrily. She was pretty sure she could see his chest puffing out as she spoke.

"Oh… well, it's in an someone else's name. Nobody knows it exists, see love. It takes brains to think of that." He told her smugly. Tali felt bile rise in her throat, but her voice didn't change.

"Oh! That's _so _clever John. I don't think I would have thought of that." She complimented. "I didn't even recognise where it was. I'm sure those silly police officers won't either."

"Well of course they won't. I chose it 'specially for us, didn't I love?"

"But where _was _it, John? I've been _desperate _to know." Tali hoped she was the only one who could hear the note of anxiety in her voice, even as she worked on keeping her tone low and smoky.

"Ha, couldn't you work it out? Told you I was cleverer than you love. Stupid woman, it was in Oak Lane, down from the old market." He smirked, but as soon as the words had left his mouth Tali shot out the door and into the observation room. She looked at them expectantly as Lee typed rapidly into the desktop.

"I got the address! Only building for miles." he proclaimed, causing relief to shoot through them all. "Guys… the owner's Lara Chambers."

"What!?" Tali cried. Lee winced slightly, and Gill shot him a glare. "That's not possible."

Tali shook her head vehemently.

"Tali…" Gill started but the girl cut her off.

"No! She wouldn't- she didn't do anything! I know she didn't." Tali told them fiercely. The four adults exchanged a glance.

"Alright kid. We believe you." Gill said, raising her eyebrows at Janet behind Tali's back.

"We've got a team on standby." Julie told them, making to leave.

"Wait!" called Lee. "The house is in the middle of nowhere- Oak lane is a little country road about forty minutes from here. We've established the guy's insane- what if he booby trapped the place?"

Gill cursed. "I'll warn the response team." Julie promised, as she dialled. On the other side of the mirror, John Parks was screaming for Rachel, yanking his wrists to try and free them as he shrieked.

"That's really pathetic." Tali commented as she watched him with revulsion.

"Uh huh. Come on kid- you did really well, Rach will be proud." Janet slipped an arm around her shoulders and led her out of the room.

"The team's ready to go when you are Gill. I'm leading from ops." Julie informed them as she snapped her phone closed. Gill nodded.

"Lee, go grab the others." She instructed, causing him to run off back upstairs. "Janet, you ready?"

"Yeah." They turned, but Tali called after them.

"Wait! Can I come?" she asked pleadingly.

"No kid, this is dangerous." Gill told her firmly. Tali crossed her arms crossly.

"And being in a room with a psycho who abducted my sister wasn't? Come on, I won't get in the way, I promise." She pleaded. Gill shook her head.

"I'm sorry kid, but no." Tali opened her mouth to argue, but Julie interrupted.

"Why don't you come to ops with me? You won't be in the way, but you'll be able to see what's happening so you'll know the second she's safe, hmm?" Julie said persuasively. Tali nodded begrudgingly, so Julie led her away to ops while Gill and Janet made their way to where the team was assembly. Rescuing Rachel was almost in their grasp.

Tali fidgeted anxiously as she watched the screens in front of her intently. She stood next to Dodson, who looked just as worried as she was.

On an unseen signal, the team moved into the house. Tali didn't know who was holding the camera, but she could see Janet and Gill moving, so knew it wasn't either of them.

"Police!" the shouts echoed through the decrepit house, but there was no sign of Rachel.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Gill shouted as loud as she could. The officers all went silent as they listened, but there was no answer to their shouts.

"Boss, look." Mitch picked up a picture frame and showed it to Gill, who raised her eyebrows. It was a photo-shopped image of Rachel and John Parks.

"Spain?" Mitch guessed.

"Or southern France." Suggested Pete, looking over his shoulder. They wandered through the house that was full of pictures of Rachel and Parks, all badly photo shopped.

"Bloody hell! Lara Chambers is John Parks' sister!" Pete peered closer at the photo he held, aware that Gill and Janet had moved towards him and were studying the picture.

"Explains her involvement." Gill commented. Janet looked faintly sick.

"She helped her brother abduct and hold an innocent woman?" She strode away, feeling her stomach twist. Suddenly, she paused. Hidden behind a plywood piece, an old door stood. She was pretty sure no one had checked it.

"Gill- this door's locked!" Janet jiggled the handle to prove her point. Mitch followed their boss over, putting his shoulder to the door and shoving it off its hinges. Stone steps led downwards, to what appeared to be an old cellar.

"Rachel?" Janet called as she moved carefully down the steps. Behind her, Gill shone a torch around, searching every corner and nook and eventually illuminating a tear streaked face that sat by the opposite wall. "Rachel!"

Janet rushed to her friends' side. Her eyes were closed, and her body limp. Cautiously, Janet removed the material gag that covered her mouth while Gill cut off the tight tape around her wrists and ankles, as well as her knees.

"Get the paramedics in here!" Gill shouted. Pete handed Janet a bottle of water once she'd pulled an unconscious Rachel into her lap, and she trickled it carefully into her mouth, massaging her throat gently to force her to swallow. Her eyes flickered, but didn't open.

"Jan, let the medics get to her." Gill told her. The words broke through, so Janet slid her friend off of her lap and into their arms, releasing her to their care. They lifted her onto a stretcher and whisked her away, Janet hot on their tails.

"I'm coming with you!" she called, scrambling into the ambulance after them. Gill watched as they sped off, dialling Julie's number.

"Hey, you catch that?" she asked.

"Yeah, slap. She alright?" Julie's voice came over. "I'm going to bring Tali to the hospital- she wants to see her."

"I don't know Julie… she looked bad. I'll meet you both there." Gill said.

Tali looked at Julie fearfully.

"Was she ok?" Julie grasped her hand comfortingly.

"Come on, we'll meet the others at the hospital." She avoided the teenager's eyes, leading her from the operations room under the bemused gaze of the other officers.

The drive to the hospital took an eternity, and no time at all. They rushed in to find Janet and Gill in the waiting room, Janet pacing up and down and heels squeaking on the linoleum floor. Silently, Tali and Julie slipped into seats next to Gill.

Tali glanced up as a harried blonde entered, but disregarded her until Janet and Gill both stood and greeted her.

"Where's Rachel? Is she ok?" the blonde demanded. Tali watched the three curiously, finally leaning over to Julie and asking who she was.

"I'm not sure, but if I had to guess I'd say it was Alison." She answered.

"Alison?"

"Rachel's sister. Oh, I guess that makes her your sister too." Realisation dawned on Tali's face.

"Huh. I never thought about that…" she murmured, looking at Alison interestedly. The blonde noticed her watching and raised an eyebrow, so Janet hurriedly made introductions and explained who Tali was.

"So that bitch got knocked up and then dumped you? That is so like her." Alison snorted. Janet shushed her with a frown.

"Not the place." She told her pointedly, Tali looking increasingly uncomfortable. Just then, a doctor in a white coat walked in, causing recognition to flash over Tali's face.

"Doctor Jones!" she exclaimed. The man smiled faintly, coming over to the group.

"Hello Tali. Who're your friends?" he asked uncertainly.

"Rachel's family. Er… this is Doctor Jones, he's Rachel's surgeon. Have you seen her?" she asked him hopefully. He inclined his head slightly.

"I have. Since she was having a CT scan anyway, we simply used these scans as we would the ones she was supposed to have earlier in the week. I'm pleased to tell you that there's no sign of the tumour- the surgery seems to have removed it all." He told them with a smile. Tali's face lit up.

"So she'll be ok?" she checked joyfully. The doctor nodded.

"She will. We'll have her back in for scans every few years just to keep an eye on her, but other than that we hopefully won't have to see her again. However, i'm afraid I don't know much about her current condition- another doctor will be in to talk with you shortly." He told them, before retreating from the room a little while later. Silence once again fell over the waiting room as the occupants prepared to spend a long night there.


	8. Chapter 8

Late into the night, Tali had fallen asleep on Janet's shoulder as the other adults waited anxiously for news. The small waiting room had a constant flow of people, but as the night had drawn on it had emptied, leaving only their group in the room. Hours after the last person had left, the door opened abruptly to reveal Lara Chambers standing nervously in the doorway, fingers playing with the hem of her shirt. Janet, Gill and Julie all shot to their feet, the first jerking Tali awake in the process.

"Please, I don't mean any harm!" the teacher said, holding up her hands in a peace making gesture. Alison looked confused as Tali flew from her seat into the Lara's arms.

"Lara, tell them they're wrong! They think you had something to do with Rachel's abduction! You didn't, did you?!" she cried. Lara smiled sadly as she held the girl, reaching up to brush a curl from her face.

"Tali, there's a lot you don't understand." She began softly.

"I understand that you're a good person." Tali said stubbornly, not looking away from her face.

"Sometimes good people do bad things." Tali stepped away from the older woman slowly, watching her fearfully through wide eyes.

"What are you saying?" she asked shakily, her voice hoarse and quiet.

"Tali… please…"

"Tell me! I'm not a child anymore…" she pleaded. Lara sighed.

"Tal, do you remember when I pulled you from your car when you were eight?" Tali nodded. "Well, you clung to me that day, screaming in pain and terror and I was completely helpless to comfort you. But somehow, my presence seemed to do so. And for the first time, I wondered what it would be like to have children of my own. I stayed with you for hours, until your mother turfed me out. And for the next few years, you came to me whenever you had a problem and a little part of me could pretend it was because you wanted to, and not simply because you had nowhere else to go. And even when you joined Gerillio's, it was still me you came to if you had a problem. Seven years, and yet you trusted me above your best friends, even your boyfriend. Even when people called you a suck up or whatever else, even when I told you that I didn't mind you treating me as only your head teacher, you still came to me. And then, all of a sudden Rachel turns up, and I don't see you at all for months on end-"

"You were jealous?!" cried Tali, interrupting whatever the redhead had been about to say. Lara shifted, looking ashamed.

"Yes." She admitted softly. Tali stared at her, astonished.

"She almost died. You brother is a psycho who locked her up in a dark, damp cellar and left her there for days on end with no food or water, four months after she'd had brain surgery!" her voice rose louder and louder, until Janet stepped forward and rested her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I know! I know, and I never thought he would actually hurt her! He's not my brother, he's my step brother my father married his mother when we were kids. That's why I related to you to well Tali- I grew up without a mother too. And once my father got married, he didn't have time for me, and neither did his new wife so John and I banded together. We'd be told to leave the house at seven in the morning and weren't allowed back until eight at night. John and I spent hours together in the woods near our house, creating whole worlds for ourselves to live in, to escape in. We didn't have phones- if we got in trouble we were on our own, and that happened more than once. Sometimes, we wouldn't even bother going home at night, we'd just sleep in the forest. Ten years old, and the two of us spent six weeks in summer camped out in the middle of nowhere, eating the berries and the animals we caught and drinking water from a stream that probably wasn't very clean. Our parents never even noticed that we were gone. So you see Tal, my step brother… he has never been a good person but he was always good to me, and to his 'girls'. I honestly thought she was safe!" Lara defended. Tali shook her head, backing away.

"That's terrible, but it doesn't give you or your step brother the right to abduct an innocent woman! Did you know I was there when those guys snatched Rachel?! One held a knife to my throat! And if that was your life, I'd have thought you'd be all the more happy for me that I'd found a relative who actually gives a damn! Rachel was the first person in seven years who was actually, genuinely worried about what happened to me." Tali stared at her, eyes shining and fists clenched. "I thought I knew you. Not your past, or your story, but the you inside. Who you are. But I was wrong... I don't know you at all, do I?" tears slipped down Tali's cheeks as she turned and ran from the room. Janet made to go after her, but Gill caught her wrist gently, preventing her from moving.

"Let me." She said, before following the teenager out while Julie secured cuffs around Lara Chambers' wrists.

Gill searched through the hospital for Tali, eventually finding her in a small memorial garden.

"Tali?" she spoke softly. The girl looked up, revealing a tear streaked face. She attempted a weak smile as Gill sat next to her. "Are you ok?"

"I… I don't know." The girl said quietly, ducking her head. Her earlier ponytail had been let down so her curls fell loose, and now they obscured her face. "Lara… she's been the only constant in my life since I was nine years old. The only person I trusted. I wouldn't have even considered going to Gerillio's if it weren't for her- my whole life has been influenced by her, and the advice she's given me. And now I don't even know how I'm supposed to feel about her!"

"She's still the same person, Tali. She just made a few bad decisions." Gill told her.

"Those decisions could have gotten Rachel killed. They still might." Tali pointed out, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Look kid… god knows I've made some really bad decisions in my life. And yes, some of those have gotten people hurt or even indirectly killed. But Lara, as much as I may not like her, she did what she did because she cares about you." Gill attempted to comfort the girl.

"I know." Tali admitted. "But she also did it because she was jealous."

Gill opened her mouth, and then closed it again. She couldn't really argue with that.

"What will happen to her now?" asked Tali, wiping her face.

"Well… Julie- DCI Dodson- is going to take her back to the station, where she'll be interviewed to determine the depth of her involvement and knowledge. Then, the case will be handed to the CPS who will decide whether or not to press charges." Gill explained. Tali nodded silently, taking in a shaky breath.

"You ok kid?" Tali pressed her lips together for a moment, before shaking her head slowly as a sob escaped. Instinctively, Gill reached out and pulled her into her arms.

"You've had a hell of a week, aye kid?" she murmured softly, rocking back and forth gently. Tali shuddered, leaning into Gill who rested her cheek against the top of her head. They stayed like that for a length of time, before Janet's voice drifted out from the door behind them.

"Gill, Tali... The doctor wants to talk with us."


	9. Chapter 9

Janet walked up the sterilised hallway of the hospital, heels clacking as dodged harried nurses and doctors and a sinking feeling in her stomach.

She didn't notice the sympathetic smiles from the nurses.

Or the exhausted nods of the doctors.

It was an eternity before finally reaching the room she'd been to so many times before over the past week.

Seven days since they'd found Rachel in the dilapidated house.

Janet pushed open the door and peeked through, the sound of laughter drifting towards her. Tali and Rachel looked up at her entrance, smiles still on both their faces as they sat cross legged on the bed.

"Hi Janet." Greeted Tali. Janet stepped further into the room.

"Hiya kid. Hey Rach. " she wandered to the empty seat and sat, smiling gently at the best friend she no longer knew.

"Hi." Replied Rachel softly.

"You know, I'm pretty sure the nurses are ready to kick the two of you out themselves. Have you been causing trouble again?" Janet raised a disapproving eyebrow.

"Rach wouldn't take her meds. Again." Tali laughed slightly. Rachel threw her pillow at her while sticking her tongue out.

"Tattle." Janet laughed at them both, resting her head on her hand. Tali turned to her with a mischievous smile.

"D'you know the nurses actually gave me their condolences for having to deal with her?" the teenager hid her grin as Rachel gasped.

"They did not, you little-"

"Children!" Interrupted Janet hastily. They fell silent, before all three burst into simultaneous laughter.

"You ready to go?" Janet asked. Rachel grinned happily.

"Absolutely." Tali hopped off the bed and grabbed the bag at the end of it. Janet plucked it out of her hands deftly, flashing the teenager a smile, prompting her to stick her tongue out at her. Rachel chuckled and shook her head at their antics, wrapping an arm around Tali as the three walked out of the hospital.

"Are you sure you feel like coming, Rachel? I understand if you don't." Tali asked her from the backseat as Janet drove.

"I told you kid, I want to. Besides, Janet will be there to catch me if I pass out, won't you?"

"Don't even joke about that." Janet and Tali said in unison. They arrived at Tali's school, the teenager quickly hopping out of the car.

"I have to go get ready- stay out of trouble you two!" she pressed a kiss to Rachel's cheek and blew another to Janet before scrambling off to somewhere unknown.

"Where does she get her energy from?" asked Janet with an astonished grin. Rachel laughed.

"Don't look at me, I haven't the foggiest." They began to walk slowly, ambling through grounds.

"Janet… Tali said we argued, before my op. that I did something that almost destroyed our friendship… what did I do?" Rachel asked awkwardly.

"Oh, rach, it doesn't matter now." Janet told her.

"But it does! Please, Janet." Rachel pleaded. Janet sighed.

"You remember I told you about Taisie and Elise? Well, Taisie adores you. Thinks you're just as good as Lady Gaga, which is saying something. But… you were staying at mine when you were having problems with Sean and you… slept with an ex co-worker of ours. In front of Taisie." Janet winced slightly as Rachel came to a sudden stop, looking at her in horror.

"I did _what?_" she exclaimed, dismayed.

"Yeah… let's just say I wasn't very happy with you. But it's all ok now- we made up and Taisie can't wait to see you again." Janet reassured her, nudging her slightly to prompt her to begin walking again. They made their way into the hall where other parents and siblings sat, before suddenly the lights dimmed to almost blackness. Beside her, Janet felt Rachel stiffen and gently slipped her hand over hers. A single spotlight appeared on the stage, illuminating a pale girl with shockingly white hair, who was dressed in a midnight blue dress the swept down to the floor, the shimmer in the fabric making her seem ethereal in the sole light.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls. Welcome to the GerillioAcademy's end of term performance. For the year 11's, the last they'll ever do. Enjoy." She spoke, before the lights vanished once again, and the group after group performed, Tali in a few of them. Finally, it was announced the final act of the night was next, and Rachel and Janet both smiled as they recognised Tali, dressed in a blood red dress that was artfully ragged at the bottom, surrounded by other students. They began to sing a song Janet vaguely recognised form one that Elise had been playing, but the tone was softer and slower. A few minutes in, and Tali took centre stage, commanding all eyes on her as she began to sing, eyes locked on Rachel's while dancers twirled around her, twisting and gliding across the stage like playful fae.

_ I won't run when bullets chase me_

_ I won't rest where arms embrace me_

_ I will love when people hate me_

_ I won't hush, no you can't make me_

_ Send the dark but it won't break me_

_ You can try but you can't change me_

_ Take my life, they will replace me_

_ I won't hush, no you can't make me_

_ I won't hush, no we will sing!_

Janet laughed to herself at the lyrics- they fitted Rachel perfectly and she was sure that that was reason for Tali's smirk as she melted back into the group, their voices melding together to create a harmony that sent shivers down her spine.

_ Where are we going_

_ Oh I don't know_

_ But still I've got to go_

_ What will become of us_

_ Oh I don't care_

_ All I know is I'll go anywhere_

_ Pioneer_

_ Let your heart not be troubled_

The group bowed and left the stage, leaving the parents to make their way out of the hall and into the foyer where dancers, singers and actors in various costumes greeted them with joy and enthusiasm.

"Rachel, Janet!" Tali bounded out from somewhere unseen-still in the red dress, although now with a coat thrown over it- and threw her arms around the both of them, a smile lighting up her face.

"Hey kid. You were great." Rachel complimented her, Janet nodding her agreement. Tali blushed, looking at the ground shyly.

"C'mon- you ready to get out of here?" Janet hooked an arm around her and Rachel's shoulders. Tali grinned, resting her head on the older woman's shoulders for a moment before they walked out into the night.

"Ooh, there's Tony. Back in a sec!" she hurried off to the blonde boy in front of them, kissing him deeply as Rachel made a small disgusted sound.

"Did not need to see my little sister doing that." She muttered. Janet laughed, dropping her arm to link it with the brunette's.

"C'mon pal, let's go home."

The End

…probably

**_All done! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed- you have no idea how big my smile was every time I read one! _**

**_The song in this one is 'Pioneer' by The Band Perry_**

**_Thank you again! _**

**_X_**


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